05/15/2023
Are you a business owner that's looking to hire a freelancer or flexible worker into your business?
Wondering whether to pay someone hourly for their time, or to look at a value-based or retainer option?
As an experienced freelancer and flexible worker, I offer clients both options, because there's a time and place for production-focused work, and building a business alongside a team.
For clients that want a longer-term team member to grow with their business, I often encourage them to look at a flexible retainer option for their business. Consider my philosophical musings on hourly pay-as-you-go vs retainer services.
-- If the ultimate goal in making this investment in your business is to create efficiency in your systems and operations ---
Paying someone hourly is not the best way to support that initiative. It actually creates a de-incentive from actually finding ways to do things more efficiently. (and they do the job better, they get paid LESS )
You don't have a foundational 'benchmark' to actually measure efficiency on things like task completion unless the scope is set, regular and cyclical. You won't get the data you need to measure the success of the worker in your business if you aren't working with a set scope (even if that scope is a little itty bitty one! -- yes, I have some 3hr/month clients)
It also detracts from doing a good job on a project because you can't actually charge by the value you are bringing to a business, and not the time output.
The best people to grow with your business are those that can see the NEXT step - if you only want someone looking for what's going on NOW, then you won't see the solutions.
The people who change the trajectory of your business don't do the bare minimum. And they don't do it from the bottom of the barrel. They do it from the top shelf.
Invest your money THERE.
